Blood Stone
by Hedwig518
Summary: Originally ‘The Star Amulet’. A very powerful amulet falls into the hands of the Charmed Ones and then is stolen. They must team up with an unlikly person to help retrive it, or else... CHAPTER 5 NOW UP. Please Read and Review
1. Lost and Found

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**A/N:** Wow, that took a lot faster than I thought. All right, so I didn't need to change as much as I thought I might in the first three chapters so I got them done pretty quickly. The one thing that I did change is my grammar, cause wow did it suck. It's better now but not perfect. The little star thingys (asterisk) mean that the chapter been updated. So here are the first three updated , but not to changed, chapters. We who are about to write salute you.

P.S: forth chappie will be up next weekend, I hope.

**Lost and Found **

"Did you find anything yet, Paige?" asked Phoebe as she entered the Conservatory. She made her way to the couch and sat down next to Piper, tucking her feet under her body. Next to her, Piper had her head laid on the couch's back and her feet were propped up on the table. Paige was leaning over a table by the large, bay window.. In her hand was a scrying crystal with she was circling over a map of San Francisco.

"Nope. Nothing yet." She had been standing there for what seemed to be hours, but in reality had only been a few minutes. Still, her arm was starting to get tired of the constant circling. She gave an impatient sigh and looked over at her two sisters as they sat comfortably on the couch. "Why do I always get stuck with the scrying?"

"Because you're the little sister and you get to have all the fun jobs." answered Phoebe with joking sarcasm. Paige just rolled her eyes and shook her hair so that it fell over her shoulder and out of her eyes. The scrying crystal jerked down, landing on a place on the map. _It's about time,_ thought Paige as she let out a breath.

"Looks like we found ourselves a demon." she told her sisters. They both raised their heads to look at her and Piper stood up stretching out the cramp in her leg and helped Phoebe up.

"Where are we going," asked Piper as she walked over to Paige and took her hand. Phoebe did likewise.

"To the park." And within the blink of an eye they disappeared into blue lights.

They orbed into a green, open field of the park and looked around trying to spot the demon. Though it was a warm, sunny afternoon, the park was nearly deserted. A few people were further up the hill, but were not in clear viewing.

Paige spotted the demon near a clump of trees and calling to her sisters, they ran over to it. They approached slowly so not to catch his attention until they were ready to make their move. The demon did not seem to hear them approach as it continued about its business. It was crouched near an object that was laying on the ground near by. Piper could just see make out a head through the opening in the demon's arms. She had a sick feeling in her stomach at the thought of the demon killing a human. It seemed humanlike itself, but it's back was to her so she couldn't tell if it was human. The demon was sifting through a cloak that lay nearby, apparently having been removed from the body.

"Hey!" called Piper, trying to get the demon's attention. The demon looked up as if startled, then turned around to face the disturbance. Piper saw that despite its human form, its face was definitely not humanlike. The first thing she noticed was its eyes; they were a mustard yellow color, almost like a cat's, with large pit black pupils. Its skin was a sickly, pale color with a tinge of blue and was stretched tightly across its skull. The demon's black lips were parted in a gruesome smile, its tongue poking out between. It gave a low hissing sound almost as a warning, but remained where it was.

"Piper, blow him up," said Phoebe, but Piper didn't need telling. Her hands were up targeted towards the demon, but before she could blow him up he shimmered out and was gone. Surprised that the demon hadn't tried to attack them, but still on her guard, keep her hands at the ready and looked around the place.

"Where'd he go?" she asked her sisters.

"I don't know," answered Paige. She too was looking around the park to see if he had reappeared anywhere, but he hadn't. Thinking that he was gone for good, Phoebe wandered over to where the demon had been.

"Oh my God," she whispered, looking down at the body. The face was mauled beyond recognition, but by the lean form, she guessed it to be a women. The cloak besides the women was torn into strips. Obviously the demon was looking for something. Phoebe glanced down the length of the body. She caught a glimpse of something silver in the women's dead hands. Kneeling down, she pried open the cold hands and nestled on the palm, was a necklace. A bright red jewel with a star carved into it, hung on a polished silver chain. The jewel seemed to shine, yet the sun was hidden by clouds; it was if it had a life of its own. "It's beautiful," she whispered to herself, reaching out a hand. Just as she was about to take the amulet, another pair of arms encircled her, dragging her to her feet and away from the corpse.

"Phoebe!" One of her sister's called out in warning.

Instinctively, Phoebe lifted her legs from the ground and used the momentum of her landing to throw the demon over her shoulder. It landed on its back, but quickly rolled to its feet and advanced again. Snarling, the demon directed a punch towards her head. Phoebe ducked, avoiding the fist by mere inches, then proceeded to levitate a few feet off the ground, and kicked the demon in the face with the heel of her boot making it fall back.

"Piper, get him," she said as she blocked another of the demon's punches. Seeing Piper raise her hand, Phoebe quickly kicked the demon in the stomach making it double over clutching its stomach, with it's clawed hands and allowing her enough time to retreat. The demon, wobbling a little as it straightened, didn't have enough time to react and shimmer out before Piper could blow it up. He exploded, without so much as a cry, and vanished in a flash of flames. With the demon vanquished, Piper and Paige turned their attention to Phoebe, who seemed a bit unsettled.

"Are you alright?" asked a concerned Paige, coming over to her older sister.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Phoebe said as looked over her body for any scratches; there were none. "No worse then usual."

"What kind of demon was that?" asked Piper.

Paige shrugged. "We'll check the book when we get back." She reached out for her sisters' hands so she could orb them back to the manor. Phoebe pulled back her hand.

"Wait," she said and began to walk over to the clump of trees where they first saw the demon.

"What are you doing?" called out Piper to her sister's retreating back, but Phoebe didn't answer. She made her way back to where the body was, her eyes immediately going to the amulet in it's hands. It still lay brilliantly standing out against the dark cloth, again drawing attention to its beauty. She reached out her hand again towards it, ignoring the warning calls from her sisters. Her fingers touched the surprising warm red stone, then closed her fist around it and pulled her hand back. The necklace now rested in her hand and she could feel its warmth spread throughout her body, along with something else. Looking back to the body, she saw it slowly fade until it was no longer there. Stunned, she looked around the space, but there was no evidence to where it had gone. There wasn't even an indentation in the grass where it had lain only a second ago. Phoebe slowly got to her feet and with a last glace at the grass, went back over to where her sisters stood, waiting.

"What's that?" asked Piper, gesturing to the amulet that was still in Phoebe's grip. Phoebe looked down at her hand, obviously she had forgotten she was holding it. She stuffed it quickly into her pocket before answering,

"The demon was after it," she said assuming the demon had been after it, the corpse had not had anything else of value it seemed. "We could use it to find out more about what was after it and why." Her sisters didn't argue so they took a hold of Paige's hand and orbed home.

The chamber was dark, lit only by a few well placed torches on the wall; the light reflecting dully off of the stone adding to the dreariness. In the center was a round table made of stone with it's top made of wood. Situated around the table were ten chairs. Nine were positioned around the table evenly spaced with the tenth on a raise platform at the head of the table.

The council was in session and each of the chairs were occupied with a figure in a black robe and a hood drawn over their face shielding it from view. That all sat solemnly and no one spoke or moved. In the high chair, the occupant leaned back, his hood brushing up against the back of the chair. The tips of his fingers were pressed together and his head was lowered as if in deep concentration. He looked out at the others seated at the table, and though he could not see their face, he knew what they were all thinking, he could sense it. They were worried, as was he, and frustrated.

_We are running out of time,_ he thought to himself impatiently. _Each day it slips further and further from our grasp._ He willed himself away from the thoughts of what could happen and tried to focus on the task that was at hand. They need to find it, and find it fast. But there was little else he could do; he already had the best searching for it, all of their energy focused into finding it. _But what have we to show for our efforts, _he thought again. _Nothing. _He let out of sigh of frustration, which echoed loudly in the silence. Some of the members seated stirred, feeling his disturbance and he immediately scolded himself for letting his composure slip. He was supposed to be the leader and show strength and calmness.

A sound of approaching feet could be heard coming towards the chamber. They paused at the only entrance being stopped by the guards posted there then a messenger, dressed like all the others, entered. He quickly crossed to the high chair and with a quick bow, approached it. The man in the chair looked at the messenger, expectantly, and felt the eyes of everyone else in the room glued up to the high chair.

"My lord," the messenger said, trying hard to keep the excitement out of his voice. "We have found the location of the amulet."


	2. Stolen

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**A/N: **Oh, I forget to say this. In case you didn't know (which you probably do) Drew Fuller came back for a little bit last episode. YEA CHRIS!!! I'm gonna miss him this season.

**Stolen **

The council shortly ended after the news of the amulet was told. The nine robed figures left the room silently leaving the man in the high chair to his own thoughts. He sat unmoving in the chair his eyes closed in concentration. Finally the position of the amulet had been found, they had hope yet. All they had to do now was to reach out their hand and take it before any others did.

The council had discussed briefly their course of action, but the decision remained solely up to him, their leader. He had taken their suggestions and opinions to mind and was now contemplating the final action they would undertake. He couldn't ponder for long though, he needed to act fast. The situation at hand was a delicate one and could easily be tipped either way, for good or for bad.

He opened his eyes, staring into the shadows as an idea entered his mind. He would send somebody to retrieve the amulet. It was a simple solution, but not one to be taken lightly. He needed to send the right person to recover it, but who? He would need to send someone who was quick-minded, intelligent and intuitive; someone who was spirited and strong. And he knew just who that someone was. He closed his eyes again and reached out with the power of his mind to touch another's, calling to them. And they responded.

"So, what is it?"

Piper looked expectantly at Leo, who was examining the amulet that Phoebe had given him. He ran his fingers over the red, surprisingly warm stone in the center, exploring it and rubbed the smooth surface as he thought.

"I don't know," he said, still staring curiously at stone. "I've never seen anything like it before. Are you sure there was nothing in the book about it?"

"Positive," said Phoebe as she crossed her arms.

"What about the demon that attacked you?"

"No nothing about him either. Maybe you should check with the Elders, see if they know anything."

"Yeah, maybe," Leo handed the amulet to Phoebe and quickly orbed Up There. After Leo was gone, Phoebe turned to her sisters.

"I wonder why we can't find anything about this amulet," said Phoebe, absentmindedly stoking the stone with her thumb.

"Maybe it's not magical," suggested Paige from her position on the couch. "Maybe it's just an ordinary necklace."

Piper shook her head. "I don't think so," she said. "Demons wouldn't be after something that isn't worth anything."

Paige's brow frowned in thought. "Well, maybe if we find out who the demon was that had it, we could find out about this amulet," she suggested.

Phoebe looked at her younger sister questionably. "You mean scry with it."

Paige shrugged. "It's worth a try isn't it?" She waited for her sister's reactions.

"I'll get the map and the crystal," Piper said and left the room, heading toward the attic. As soon as she left Cole shimmered into the room. Phoebe saw him appear and went over to hug him.

"Hey, baby," said Cole as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the top of her head. Phoebe smiled and went to put her arms around his neck. Cole caught a glimpse of the amulet still entwined in her fingers and gripped her wrist.

"What?" asked a surprised Phoebe looking up at his face. Cole said nothing; instead he took the amulet from her hands and held it in his own. He looked at it in awe as he carefully inspected it a strange look pasting over his eyes.

"Cole..." Phoebe started to say slowly after seeing the look in Cole's eye. She dropped the hand that had held the amulet and stared at her boyfriend. Piper had come back from the attic and was holding the map and scrying crystal.

"I've got the stuff..." Her voice trailed off when she saw Cole holding the amulet. She cast a questioning glance to her sisters, but they were looking at Cole with intent curiosity.

"Cole," began Phoebe again, "have you seen this before?"

Cole didn't answer immediately, he was still eyeing the stone with great interest; he hardly seemed to hear Phoebe or notice her the others staring at him. "Cole!" Phoebe said sharply trying to get his attention. He seemed to snap out of his trance and turned to find himself looking at a impatient Phoebe.

"No, I haven't," he said. Phoebe turned to her sisters with sigh and seemed to relax a bit. "But I have heard about it."

Phoebe whirled around facing Cole and looked at him fixedly. "What do you mean? You know about this?"

Cole shifted uncomfortably. "I heard something about it in the Underworld." He held up the chain letting the light from the window reflect off the smooth surface of the stone. "All the demons down there are talking about it. It's supposed to have some great power."

"What kind of power?" asked Piper from her place behind Phoebe. Cole looked at her with a serious expression.

"Not of this world kind of power."

It took only a few minutes before he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. A figure entered the chamber, dressed in black like the others had been. The hood was thrown back revealing long, dirty blonde hair that was pulled back into a braid that fell past the women's shoulders. She came and stood before great chair and gently dipped her head into a bow in respect before sitting down. She leaned back in the chair and placed a hand under her chin as if already bored and uninterested. He smiled to himself, amused at her manner. _She is in the presence of her leader, yet acts with casual insolence._ He was not upset with her laid-back attitude, however; of course she was always like that, but she was good at what she did and was the only one he would trust with the task. _Our future depends on it, _he thought.

"Welcome, Arianna." he caroled in greetings.

She stood up again and gave another short bow almost mockingly. "Lord Cyrus." She sat down immediately taking up her slouching position once again. With out any further waiting she dove right into the issue.

"So what is it that you want?" she asked causally, ignoring the normal protocol of being addressed before speaking to a higher authority.

"The amulet has been found," he said simply giving her the information that she wanted. She didn't even stir at the news.

"So I've heard."

He sat back in his chair, impressed. It hadn't even been half-an-hour since the news had been brought in and she already had discovered about it. _Her ears are sharp,_ he thought again.

"I need you to retrieve it."

She sat up a little straighter in her chair appearing interested now. "All right. Where is it and who do I need to kill to get it?"

He stood up from his chair and stepped down from the platform on which it stood. The women's green eyes followed his every move as he made to approach her.

"It is presently in the possession of the Charmed Ones."

She raised an eyebrow with amusement. "It's with those witches." She gave a small laugh before standing up. "It'll be like taking candy from a baby." Without even a short bow, usually given with departure, she made her way out of the chamber.

"Arianna," he called after her. She stopped in mid-step and turned back towards him. "We have been waiting a long time to relocate the amulet and you know how important this is to all of us." He fixed her with a stern glance and she stared him straight in the eye unflinching. "Go in, take the amulet and bring it back here. No games, no messing around, you know how powerful it is and what could happen if it fell into the wrong hands. It would be a very dangerous tool." Arianna crossed her arms, wanting this little lecture to end so she could do what she needed to.

"I know Cyrus." she said impatiently, "After all, I have been studying it for the past decade."

"Of course," he said and turned to go back to his chair. Arianna did not move.

"And what of the witches?" she asked.

He turned back to her. "You are not to harm them," he said firmly. He saw her hesitant about the instruction.

"But they're witches."

"You are not to harm them," Cyrus repeated. He wanted to make her understand and respect his authority.

Arianna paused for a moment, considering her options. "Fine, I won't harm them," she said though a bit slowly. Cyrus seemed to be satisfied that she would obey this time and dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

"What do you mean 'not of this world kind of power?'." asked Paige.

Cole lowered his arm and firmly grasped the stone in his fist. "Rumor has it down there that this amulet isn't from this world. That its power comes from a different realm."

The girls were still confused. "Where else could it come from, the Spirit realm?" Paige asked.

"It doesn't look very ghostly," said Piper tilting her head to look at the stone better.

"Where else could it come from, if not the Spirit realm," said Paige. "We don't have many other options." Everyone was stumped.

"I'll go back down and see if I can find anything else," Cole suggested. The girls looked at each other briefly and nodded.

"Okay," said Phoebe and came up to put her arms around Cole. "Just be careful."

"I always am." He gave her the amulet and kissed her before shimmering to the Underworld.

"Well I guess scrying for it won...," started Paige but was interrupted as a demon shrouded in a dark cloak shimmered in behind Phoebe. "Phoebe, behind you!" she shouted in warning, but it was too late. The demon, with a wave of his hand, threw Phoebe across the room where she landed on a side table, smashing it to splinters. Piper raised her hands to blow the demon up but found herself, instead, flying into a wall where she hit her head and slumped to the ground.

"Lamp," called Paige holding out her hand. It orbed over to her and she threw it toward the demon who ducked, missing the lamp by a hair. Phoebe was up again, a little wobble from her flight through the air, but managed to stand tall. Paige tried to throw a vase at the demon, who again avoided, but it distracted him enough that Phoebe was able to go behind him and kicked the legs from under him. He crashed on his back and his hood fell back revealing a face similar to the demon they had saw earlier in the park; those deep, yellow eyes stared back at her. The demon reached up and grabbing Phoebe, proceeded to flip her over him onto her back. The wind rushed out of her lungs as she slammed into the floor, stunning her for the moment. He used the second to take the amulet that was clenched in her fists. Seeing him take it, Paige tried to stop him before he could leave.

"Amulet," she said reaching out her hand towards the demon, but nothing happened; the amulet didn't appear in the swirl of blue lights as it normally should. The demon smiled wickedly at her, showing his yellowed, pointed teeth and shimmered out.

Phoebe groaned and got up from the floor using a nearby table to steady her. She looked around the room surveying the damage. She saw a slumped figure against the wall.

"Piper," she whispered, seeing her oldest sister lying on the floor. She rushed over to where she had fallen, followed by Paige, and knelt down beside her. "Piper," said Phoebe, anxiously "Get up."

Piper opened her eyes, staring up at her two concerned sisters. Phoebe let out a sigh of relief. "Piper are you alright? Say something."

"Ow," responded Piper, rubbing her head and then slowly raised herself into a sitting position aided by her sisters.

"Are you okay sweetie, do you want me to call Leo?"

"I'm fine," said Piper waving them off. After a while she stood up and looked around at the rubble in the room. "Ugh," she said staring at the splintered table, "more demon aftermath clean up." And proceeded to start picking up the wood fragment that once was a table

"Piper...," started Phoebe intending to tell her about the amulet, but was interrupted as another figure dressed in black robes materialized into the room.

"Not again," groaned Piper, she made to blow up the intruder, but the intruder held up a hand as if it were a shield. The attack never hit its target, but seemed to be absorbed by the robed figure. Piper stared in amazement first at her hands, then the stranger before trying to blow it up again; the same thing happened.

"I don't have time for this," said the stranger in an annoyed voice. With a wave of the intruder's hand, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige found that they couldn't move, much like what happened when Piper froze something. But they were still aware of all that was going on and were able to move there eyes and mouths.

"That's better," said the stranger, "Now, tell me where the amulet is and I'll be out of here and you can go back to whatever you little witches do."

"You just missed it," said Phoebe matching the smug attitude of the intruder. The stranger turned towards her. "One of your little demons friends came by and took it already."

The stranger didn't move. "You mean it's gone?" It said in quiet anger.

"Yep," said Phoebe, "You missed it by _just _a few minutes."

The stranger threw back it's hood to reveal a head of blonde hair that was pulled back into a braid. The face of the women was tinged red and she had her fist clenched at her side.

"Can't you pathetic witches hold on to a little necklace for more than a few minutes?" She told the sisters in a heated voice and glared coldly into the eyes of each of the frozen witches making them cringe inwardly. "Well thank you for making my job a hell of a lot harder." With that she materialized out of the room. Upon her leaving, the sisters unfroze and stared at each other silent, and confused. Very confused.


	3. Kidnapped

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**A/N: **We who are about to write salute you.

**Kidnapped **

Cyrus was sitting at a table shuffling through some old papers, when Arianna stormed into the room. She used her telekinetics to close the door behind her, but in her angry, slammed it causing the layer of dust in the room to stir.

"They lost the amulet," she shouted furiously and approached the table at which he sat. She glared down at Cyrus expecting a response, or a course of action, but received neither. Instead, he calmly straightened and stacked the parchment he had been reading, then folded his hands together across the paper and looked up.

This infuriated Arianna. _How could he act like that at a moment like this_, she thought to herself. _The amulet had been stolen, snatched out of the hands of witches. It would take at least another three months to relocate it again and by then it may be too late._

"Maybe you didn't hear me," she said, narrowing her eyes and leaning forward until she was inches from his face. "Those dim-witted witches had the amulet stolen from them. We lost it yet again, taken from our..."

Cyrus cut her off. "I am aware of what you have said," he said in a cool manner. Arianna stood up, still frowning at him.

"And what are you going to do about it?" she asked crossly, folding her arms.

Cyrus stood up, smoothing the wrinkles from his robe. He walked around to the front of the table where Arianna was looking at him expectantly, her face flushed with anger.

"Who was it that stole the amulet?" he asked.

"A demon."

Cyrus nodded his head and folded his hands together. "What type of demon was it?"

"An evil one," she replied sarcastically.

Cyrus didn't respond, instead he began to pace the room with his head bowed in thought and seem to ignore all else that was happening around him.

Arianna watched him through narrow eyes and began to drum her fingers on her arm impatiently waiting for him to say something. She wouldn't wait forever though, she didn't like to wait. Especially when it involved something as important as this. Letting out a sigh of irritation, she began to tap her foot on the stone. Cyrus only paused briefly to glace at her before resuming his pacing. Arianna rolled her eyes at him. She was getting very aggravated and impatient now and her drumming of the fingers and tapping of the foot was reaching an all time high, the sound echoed dully through the chamber.

"Will you desist," Cyrus said curtly as he stopped his pacing. Arianna only looked at him before ending.

"Did you think of something?" she asked him as she leaned back against the table's edge.

"As a matter of fact I did," he answered.

Arianna looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to explain his seamless plan on how to retrieve the amulet, but he did not continue. "And..."

Cyrus smiled and put his hand in opposite sleeves before resuming his pacing again. "I believe it would be easier to relocate the amulet if we find the demon who stole it."

"I agree," said Arianna. "Except one little detail. We don't know who or what stole it."

"We don't," Cyrus turned quickly to face Arianna, "but the Charmed Ones do." He paused only to shake his hands out of the sleeves to his robes. "Which is where you come in."

"What do you mean?" asked Arianna crossing her arms. Cyrus merely continued to look at her a small smile tugging at his lips. Arianna looked at him curiously before it finally dawned on her.

"What!" she said loudly, swiftly coming to her feet. "You want me to go back there." Cyrus nodded. She just stared at him wide-eyed in disbelief. "No. No way am I going back to those...those... witches." She spat the last words out with disgust. "Send someone else, there is no way in hell that I'm going there." And with that said she turned up her head like a stubborn three-year old.

"You are most knowledgeable about this matter," Cyrus said simply. "I will not send another."

Arianna looked at him smugly. "Then I guess we're screwed." She turned her back to him and began to walk out of the room with a flowing stride. Cyrus, however, grew tense and angry, his eyes narrowed as he looked at her retreating back.

"You will go back and find out who stole the amulet," he said with suppressed anger in his voice. Arianna stopped in mid-stride and turned smiling and shaking her head.

"Maybe you don't get it," she told him. "I am not going back there." She smiled at him mockingly.

Cyrus whole attitude suddenly changed as he drew himself up to his full height, seeming very large and powerful. His face was stern and proud, yet frightening all at the same time. His entire stance reflected the power and authority that he held so close to him.

Arianna took a step back in fright and awe seeing him take this change, though it was against her normal defiant behavior to back down like this. After all, it did imply weakness and there was nothing more that Arianna hated than weakness.

"No," he said, though it was more like an command. "You will go."

Arianna opened her mouth to say something, but for once in her life she was at lost for words. Cyrus continued.

"I am the leader here and you will respect my authority," he said, not releasing his gaze from her. "I cannot have people like you dismissing my orders and taking their own course of action." His voice was beginning to rise in volume at this point. "Even though you are powerful and of high status, it does not give you the right of openly denying a direct order, especially if it comes from the highest power, in this case me." He took a deep breath before going on. "Now, I ordered you to go back to the Charmed Ones to retrieve the needed information, therefore you are to do so immediately _without_ any questions or arguments. If you are incapable of doing this, then perhaps you should return to Training in order to learn respect and obedience, because without them, we cannot function successfully."

When Cyrus finally finished he returned to his normal state and went to sit down in his chair behind the table. Arianna stood there in astonishment, her eyes were wide and her mouth slightly opened, but no words came out. Cyrus smiled inwardly to himself, happy that his speech had such an impact that it did; few thing ever did fazed her. He knew that the threat of returning to Training and thus, sinking to the lowest status, would be a personal insult to her as she liked the rank, and freedom that came with it, she held now.

Shaking her head to get rid of the shock, she turned toward Cyrus with reluctance.

"Fine I'll go back." She turned again to leave, but just before she reached the door she stopped. "But I'll bring them back here so _you_ can talk to them," she said in her normal, abrupt manner.

Cyrus leaned his head back and folded his fingers across his chest, smiling to himself. Perhaps, he will never be able to fully get through to her.

Piper, Paige and Phoebe were up in the attic still trying to shake the after-effects from the last attack; it had come unexpected and so soon after the other demon attack. And there was that strange spell the last demon had put on them; their bodies still were still tingling from the magic.

Piper sat in a chair with her head in her hands while her other two sisters searched through the book. So far, the day hasn't been very successful. Three demons, two of whom were vanquished, the other got away; one amulet that they found and then was stolen from them. They couldn't find any of the demons in the Book of Shadows and Cole had yet to return from the Underworld with information; Leo hadn't returned either. "It is just me or is this really strange," said Paige, voicing the confusion in Piper's own mind. "I mean there's those two unidentified demons and that weird necklace thing that all seem to be connected."

Phoebe closed the cover of the Book after looking through it for the tenth time. "There is absolutely nothing in here about any of that stuff." She went over and sat in the chair next to Piper. "I don't know what else to do." The two older and more experienced sisters sat quietly while Paige took over Phoebe's place at the book, determined to find what they were looking for.

"We could try scrying for them?" she suggested as she began to flip through the worn pages filled with spells, potions, demons and other magical beings that have been passed down through generations.

Piper shook her head. "We don't have anything to scry with,"

"What about a Summoning spell?"

"We don't know enough about them to summon them," said Phoebe.

"We don't know anything about them." Piper pointed out.

Paige shook her head, not disheartened by her sisters, and continued to flip through the book. "There has to be something..."

"Paige there is nothing about any of them." Phoebe said slightly angered and annoyed. She rose to her feet and walked to where the book was, closing it.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Paige asked in the same annoyed tone as Phoebe. "Just let them go?" She rested her hands on her hips in a stubborn manner.

"Yeah," said Piper now getting up from her chair to join her sisters. "Until we know more about them that's exactly what we are going to do."

Paige threw up her hands and sighed loudly, finally giving in to her sisters and went to sit down in the chair that Piper had occupied.

"Leo!" called Piper looking up to the ceiling. Since she and her sister witches couldn't find anything, she wanted to know if her husband/whitelighter did. Within seconds, a swirl of blue and white lights appeared and Leo was standing in front of them.

"Did you find anything yet?" he asked.

"No, but we were going to ask you the same thing," Piper replied as she went over to give her husband a small kiss on the cheek. Leo smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his side. He kissed the top of her head, then looked at Phoebe and Paige.

"The Elders don't know anything about the amulet or the demon."

Piper let out a small laugh. "What else is new," she muttered under her breath. Leo looked at her,

"We got another problem," Phoebe said crossing her arms with a quick glance to her sisters. "The amulet was stolen,"

"What?" Leo pulled his arm away from Piper. "Who stole it?"

"The same type of demon that we found it on."

"And we have another problem too," said Paige. "We met another demon who was looking for the amulet. She wasn't in the book either,"

"What did she look like?" asked Leo.

Piper began to tell him. "Blonde hair, dressed in black..."

"Looks just like her," said Paige pointing behind Piper and Leo and going slightly pale. Beside her, Phoebe took a small step back her eyes wide. A somewhat nervous Piper slowly turned around and found herself face to face with the same demon that had come in after the amulet was stolen.

The women stood there in a powering manner with the hood of her black robe thrown back to show her dark features. Her eyes were narrow as she looked over the motionless people with loathing written all over her face. A smile tugged at her lips as she watched the helpless witches and their whitelighter, but was quickly replaced with a frown.

"Piper, why can't we move?" asked Leo out of the corner of his mouth.

"It's one of her little tricks," replied Piper through gritted teeth.

The women smiled slyly and flicked a hand towards the two and their jaws snapped together. Now they could only move their eyes which were wide with fright.

"Hey!" called out Phoebe to the strange demon. "If you think that..." But she wasn't able to finish as the women flicked her hand again in Phoebe's and Paige's direction to close their mouths.

The women began to weave through the still and silent bodies and reached inside her robe. Without a word, she took out three necklaces shaped as a diamond with a slash through it and place them around each neck of the witches. After finishing that, she stepped back in front of them and pulled out a similar necklace out of her robes and placed it around her own neck. She ran a finger along the diagonal and it began to glow light sliver; the diagonals of the witches necklaces began to glow also. The women smiled and glancing up at the faces of the Charmed Ones, materialized out of the room. Instantaneously, Phoebe, Piper, and Paige materialized out of the room right after her.

As soon as they left, Leo was able to move again and looked around the room trying to comprehend what had just happened. Taking a deep breath to try and calm himself, he closed his eyes and concentrated trying to sense where the girls might have gone to, but couldn't locate them anywhere. Now in panic, he opened his eyes again and without a second thought, orbed Up There to go and talk to the Elders, hoping against all hope that the girls would be all right.


	4. Trapped

**A/N:** Well here is my updated fourth chapter, much better don't you think? I personally think this is one of my better chapters. Now, I didn't go a far as I originally intended to, but I think that this piece fits nicely together. I added a lot of new stuff, but kept most of the dialogue and added some. You'll see more familiar stuff from my other chapter, especially near the end of the chapter. I'm just about to go on Thanksgiving break and am in a writing mood so expect a fifth chapter soon. Right now I'm getting frustrated 'cause I have all these ideas floating in my head, but they come later on in the story and I haven't gotten there yet.

I would especially like to thank my best and favorite reviewer Succubus-69, you're praise keeps me going and I'm glad you like this story. It's gonna get really good soon in a few chapters. (I'm thinking chapter 6 or 7) Keep up the reviewing!

I would also like to thank Louise Malfoy, ShaedowCat for their input too.

_We who are about to write salute you! Enjoy!_

Hedwig518

**Trapped **

When Phoebe awoke, she found herself sprawled out on a cold, stone floor. She weakly opened an eye to look around at her new surroundings. The room spun in her vision, making her dizzy so she closed her eye and tried to relax in the darkness.

That strange women had brought them here, Phoebe remembered. But how had she gotten them here? With her eyes still closed, Phoebe let her hand slide to her throat to see if the diamond shaped necklace was still there. It wasn't. A shiver ran down Phoebe's spine as she recalled the eerie sensation of the necklace's magic as they were drawn from the attic. It wasn't like orbing. When orbing, you felt yourself grow light and saw the swirls of blue and white around you before being magically taken from one destination to the next. No, that magic that brought her here was not at all like an orb, is was much darker. It felt as if you were being pulled from your place and then thrown into darkness. No, Phoebe thought, it wasn't darkness it was something else. It was as if all the light had been sucked into a void and all that was left was an empty blackness. There was no light, there was no heat. There was nothing.

Phoebe couldn't recall exactly how long it had taken, but she guessed she must have fallen unconscious in between at some time.

A groan came from somewhere in the room.

Phoebe opened her eyes, the dizziness and spinning no longer there, and searched the room for the cause of the sound. She spied a figure lying on the ground across from her and recognized the familiar shape. It was Piper. Phoebe sat up, ignoring the oncoming rush of another bout of dizziness, and hurried to Piper side. She put a comforting hand her Piper's side and felt her sister stir beneath her hand.

"Piper? Honey, are you all right?" asked Phoebe. Piper groaned again in response. Phoebe eyes swept across the room and saw Paige in a corner. Paige was sitting up and staring with concern towards Piper.

"Is she going to be all right?" asked Paige. She stood up and walked over to Phoebe and Piper.

"She'll be fine," answered Phoebe, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

No sooner had she spoken, before Piper raised herself up to a sitting position. She put a hand to her head and groaned. Her eyes fluttered opened and she was greeted by the gaze of her two sisters.

"Are you okay?" asked Paige as she put one of her hands behind to steady her.

Piper brushed the question off with a wave of her hand while mumbling an inaudible answer. Phoebe watched as Piper's eyes as they darted around their prison, searching the shadows for any threat that may dare show them self. Phoebe knew nothing was hidden in to darkened corners. So couldn't explain why, but she had a feeling that they weren't here to die. Of course she wasn't entirely sure of their true purpose here, but she knew it wasn't to die. She guessed that for now they would stay here until they were needed. For whatever reason that was.

"Where the _hell _are we?" asked Piper to no one in particular. Phoebe had been wondering the same thing, but with all that had happened she hadn't had time to recollect where they were. She had a feeling though that it had to do with the woman who had brought her and her three sisters to this place.

"I have no idea," Phoebe answered. She looked around and the compound's sides. They were solid stone and apparently seamless. The missing chunks of the rock wall led Phoebe to believe that the entire cavern had been carved out. She placed a single finger on the chilling stone and a chilling shock along with a felt a faint tingle. In fact, she had felt that faint tingle ever since she first awoke in the room. There was no normal cause for it, so she knew it had to be something else, but what she didn't know. Slowly, Phoebe ran her finger along the rough contours of the rock. She had an idea. Somewhere, there had to be a door. Right now it was probably disguised by the rock and hidden to the naked eye. But if she found the seam to the door, they might be able to get out. She began to walk around the border of the room, her finger never losing contact with the wall. Eventually she would have to find…

Phoebe stopped abruptly, hardly daring to hope, and retraced the path across the stone with her finger. Maybe it was only a crack in the stone for those were plentiful and she had run across many all ready. But no… She traced the smooth line again and smiled. It was a seam. She traced the outline of the door and took a step back. It blended in so well that even though she knew where the door was, she still couldn't see it. Happy with her discovery she smiled to herself. Her sisters, wondering what she found, came and stood by her side.

"What did you find?" asked Paige. She squinted into the rock trying to see what Phoebe was so intrigued about.

"I think it's a door," was Phoebe's answer. She walked up to the stone and pushed against the area outlined by the seam. It didn't budge. She tried again harder. Still nothing.

"Piper, try blasting it," Paige suggested.

Phoebe moved quickly out of Piper's firing range and dragged Paige to the other side of the room. The last thing they needed was to get hit with rock projectiles. Crouching down, they turned their attention to Piper. Doing what Piper had done a thousands times before, she raised her hands and aimed them towards the door. Phoebe and Paige waited in silence for Piper to blow up the door, but nothing happened. Not even a chunk exploded. Piper turned towards her sisters with open shock on her face.

"What happened? Why didn't it blow up?" Phoebe asked Piper. She was surprised that Piper hadn't been able to make the door explode and now a little fear crept in. Piper could blow anything up, unless of course it was very powerful or evil.

"I don't know," answered a confused Piper.

"Well are you sure your doing it right?" Phoebe asked again. She didn't want to admit that they could be in trouble that was way over their heads.

Piper's shock turned in to irritation and put her hand on her hips. "Of course I'm doing it right. This is only the billionth time I've done it."

"Right, right," said Phoebe. She turned to Paige. "Can you orb?"

Paige closed her eyes and seemed to be concentrating. After a few seconds she let out a breath and opened her eyes. She looked a Phoebe and shrugged. Phoebe let out a frustrated breath. Something was interfering with their magic. But what?

"I think we're trapped," she told her sisters.

"Well thank you Captain Obvious," said Piper sarcastically.

Paige began to walk around the confines of the cavern looking up into the dark, shadowed corners and running a hand across the rugged rock. It seemed as if she was searching for something. Finally, as she finished searching the room she turned to her sisters.

"Do you think it's a spell, or something?" she asked.

"Or something," responded Phoebe. Her eyes, too, glanced around the room.

Just then the stone door that they had been trying to breach slid open and in walked a man robed in black. His face was framed with a small, gray beard and his bright green eyes stared at the girls. His commanding stance filled the room and a unknown power seemed to emit from him in strong vibes. Though he appeared to be an elderly man, something about him spoke of youth and a hidden strength. The girls immediately froze in their place and couldn't help but stare and this newcomer. As the man stopped a few yards in front of the shock still sisters, he made no threatening gestures or suggested to do anything to harm them, but it still made Phoebe no less comfortable.

"I see Arianna managed to get you here in one piece," the man said with a smile. His voice was smooth and soft, much like that of a loving grandfather talking to one of his grandchildren. But behind the level voice, Phoebe could sense power and a strong will.

"What do you want," asked Piper, despite the obvious alarm she felt of this man. A deep scowl appeared on her face as she stared angrily at the stranger doing her best to cover up her own worry.

The man turned to her with a smile. "Ah, you must be the elder sister, Piper, am I correct?" No response came from Piper. "Filled with determination and always wanting to get to the root of the situation. A very favorable quality. Well to answer you're question, Piper, I am here for your help." He glanced at all the sisters in turn. "All of your help."

"We don't help demons," said Phoebe flatly. The green eyes turned to look into her own and she could see the power radiating from behind them. It sent shivers all down her back. She could tell that this man was not to be reckoned with.

"Well it's a good thing I'm not a demon, isn't it Phoebe," He withdrew his gaze from Phoebe and she let out a relieved breath.

"If you're not a demon then what are you?" asked Piper, her voice rising with impatience. Phoebe cast a sidelong glance at Piper. She worried that her older sister might stir up trouble with the man, trouble that they didn't need. The power she had seen behind his eyes frightened her and she only hope she and her sisters wouldn't be on the receiving end of those unknown powers. So far he appeared tranquil and non aggressive. So far.

"I am a Druid," the man said simply, "but I will not go into detail about that for there are more pressing matters at hand."

Phoebe opened her mouth to ask exactly what a Druid was, but as if sensing it, the man sent her a look that made the her choke back the question. It didn't, however, make it go away.

He turned his attention back upon the sisters. "I need to know what the demon looked like that stole the amulet from you."

Phoebe saw Paige's eyes widen. "How do you know about the amulet?" Paige asked in surprise.

Phoebe was wondering the same thing herself. How did this man know about the amulet? How did he even know that they had had it or that it was even stolen? They didn't even know what the hell the amulet was about.

"It's not important at this moment" the man said waving his hand, "I need to know what the demon looked like. That is the more pressing matter at hand." It sounded almost like he was pleading them.

Phoebe exchanged glances with Piper and Paige unsure of what to do. They could do what the Druid asked and tell him about the demon, but she, at least, still wasn't sure if he was evil or not, despite of what he said. And if he was evil, she didn't want him getting his hands on the amulet if it was powerful as Cole said it was. But if they didn't tell him what he wanted, well, she didn't want to think what he might do to them.

Fearing the worst, and doing the only thing she thought best to do, Phoebe began to describe the demon. As she described in detail the mustard yellow cat-like eyes of the demon they had seen at the park and the one that later attacked them, of its light blue tingled skin pull tautly across its features, and wicked black lips with its pointed, stained teeth, she felt the disapproving gaze of her sisters and couldn't help but think if she was doing the right thing. It seemed sensible, better than to be tortured into confession. As she finished describing the demon, she let out a breath.

"Pyriddein demon," the man muttered to himself. He turned his back to the girls and seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Phoebe could hear an occasional mutter and a deep sigh from him. Finally, after a length he turned around and smiled pleasantly at Phoebe, though it did little to give her comfort. "Thank you for your help." He turned to leave.

"Hey, wait!" shouted Paige at his retreating back. He turned to look at her. "When do we get out of here?" She gestured to the surrounding stone walls. He turned back around, but seemed impatient to go on his way.

"As welcomed as your information was, you will be kept here incase of any further use you may be to us. Food will be brought up if you get hungry. Thank you again and good day." With a swish of his black robes he left the room the door closed behind him leaving the sisters alone. A forbidding silence hung over the girls.

"Why did you tell him, Phoebe?" Piper said, breaking the silence and rounding angrily on her sister. "Now we're stuck here for God only knows how long!"

Phoebe was taken aback at her sister's angry, Piper wasn't usually one to lash out at her sisters like this, or anyone for that matter, unless she was really upset about something. But she didn't care if Piper thought her decision wrong, it was the only choice to make. She just had to make Piper see the reason to what she had done. "He probably would have killed us if we didn't."

Piper threw her hands up in the air. "What do you think he's going to do now? We told him the information he needed so now we're no longer any use to him." Piper's face was now a crimson red as her fury grew. "There's nothing stopping him from killing us now."

"He would have killed us already if he didn't need us. So there must be something else that her needs." Phoebe retorted, her voice being to match Piper's, but on a less threatening tone.

"What do you think, Paige?" Piper said to their other sister. Paige held up her hands and took a step back, obviously not wanting to get into the middle of her two feuding sisters

Piper let out a cry of anger and stalked to the other side of the room. Phoebe was sad to see that she had gotten her sister so upset, but it had been the only thing to do. Hadn't it? She walked to one of the stone wall on the other side of room, opposite of Piper. She eased herself onto the floor and leaned her head back against the stone work, burying her face into her hands. Hadn't it?

I was gonna update this last weekend but the fanfic update thing was down and then for some reason I couldn't log in when it was back up. I'm half way through my fifth chap so that should be up soon.


	5. Demons and Release

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

A/N: Okay so it's been awhile, sorry. It's a short chapter, I know, but I wanted to get it out to you peoples so you could read. Your probably wondering "When are we actually getting to the action?" well that should come in two chapters so hold your horses.

Read and Review Please.

**Demons and Relase**

Cyrus walked briskly down a dark corridor. Like all the other areas, this too was seemingly carved from rock and the rough surface cast shadows from the little light that was shining. Cyrus's head was swarming with the information he had just gotten out of the witch sisters. It wasn't nearly enough to narrow down the long list of suspects they he had formed, but is crossed off a few. He would need more information. That was why he keeps them in a holding cell, though he felt rather badly for it. The witches were confused and frightened much like a child who had been separated from its mother. But what could he expect from them, from anyone who had been whisked away unexpectedly from their homes and thrown into a cell with no idea what was going on. They hid their fear well though, and did their best to remain strong with all that had happened in only a few short hours. It would be good for them; they would need that courage in the future. Especially with what he was about to do.

As he neared the end, he slapped a hand on a metal plate next to a door and it slid open soundlessly and entered into the council chambers. Situated around a round, wood top table were ten chairs, the tenth being on top on a raised platform so that the First Druid could watch over the proceedings. Cyrus was First Druid, the leader of all Druids that dwelled in these series of connecting, underground caverns, and all Druids for that matter. He was appointed into the leading position fifteen years ago, not only because of his power, but also because of his wisdom and leadership abilities and his want of a smooth running union. He was called upon to do all kinds of duties from disciplining a troublesome novice and sign documents for approval to what he was doing now; finding the whereabouts of the amulet and recovering it. The latter probably being the most important deed he has done in all his years.

He looked around the large room and saw that one of the chairs were already occupied. The figure was slouched down behind the high back of the chair and leg was draped over an arm of the seat. He knew who it was instantly.

"I see you got my message," he said coolly as he climbed the steps to the platform and sat down in the chair. The figure sat up straight in the chair, removing their leg from the arm. They leaned forward, placing their elbows onto the table and with an idly finger, began to trace an unseen symbol on the wood top.

"How could I miss it," Arianna said not looking at Cyrus's face, "You projected it into my head." She still didn't meet his eyes. "So, did you have your little talk with the witches?"

Cyrus watched her as she traced the familiar figure of the Larn, a diamond figure with a slash running from the upper right side right through to the lower left. The Larn was the symbol of the Druid. It was taught to every Druid since a young age and reminded them each time that they saw it how all life is connected. It was sometimes drawn in comfort during a hard time, or sometimes in mere boredom. Though is was an easy symbol to draw, its meaning is powerful. It could be used to craft spells and could be very powerful if invoked correctly, or very dangerous. Each side of the diamond represents a part of what makes up the world. The two lines that make up the top of the diamond signify water and air, the bottom two lines represent earth and fire; the elements that make up the world. Magic is symbolized by the diagonal connecting the lines of air and earth. It reminds Druids how magic connects all things of life, from the air in the heavens to the earth under our feet.

Cyrus leaned back in his chair and placed the tips of his fingers together. "Yes, I did."

Arianna stopped her finger and finally raised her head to meet Cyrus's gaze. "Well since you're finished, shall I dispose of them?"

"Arianna," Cyrus began in a calm voice. Sometimes he felt like he could never get through to her. "I have all ready told you they are not to be touched. They have committed no crime and are no threat against us." Hearing no answer from her he took it that she heard and understood him so he continued, "To say the least, they have provided us with information that may help narrow our search." Now that Cyrus was on the subject of the amulet and the demon that stole it Arianna turned to stare intently up at the high chair, giving her full attention.

"Who stole it?" she asked eagerly.

Cyrus took a deep breath. "It is not actually the matter of who stole it; it is more the matter of who stole it for whom."

Arianna gave him a blank stare. "You lost me."

Cyrus closed his eyes. "The amulet was stolen from the witches by a Pyriddein demon."

Arianna looked at him in silence for a length before finally speaking, "Are you sure it was a Pyridden? They are more of annoyance than an actually threat. And I'm not sure they even have the intelligent, let alone the power to take the amulet."

Cyrus fixed her with a piercing gaze. "But as you know, Pyriddens are used by other, more powerful demons, to do their dirty work. So perhaps it was sent by another to do the deed."

"But why a Pryidden?" Arianna leaned forward in her chair and placed her elbows on the table. "Why not an Obleak demon or Goblin. They have more sense then a Pryidden and are certainly more trustworthy. Especially in a task as important as recovering the amulet." She paused for a moment, thinking. "And the point that it was a Pryidden that stole it doesn't narrow our search. The list of demons we suspect are more powerful demons; any one of them could have hired the services of a Pyridden."

"Perhaps not," said Cyrus. "But it is the only lead we have at the time." He rose from his seat and made his way down the platform stairs and towards the exit. Cyrus was planning to go back to the holding cell to question the sister witches some more, but this time he planned to bring Arianna. Though he knew that mixing her sometimes unstable temper with her dislike of witches might not be very pleasant, he would need her there for an unveiled reason. Cyrus sent an unseen signal to Arianna to follow him. She rose silently from her seat and fell into step behind him. He would need the witches as well.

Cyrus and Arianna left the council room and made their way down to the holding cell where the witches were. The holding cell was designed to detain people, especially the ones who possessed magic. When they were being built a powerful spell was laid into the walls that neutralized all magic inside the chamber. This was so no magical being could escape by materializing out or demolishing the cell. It also allowed the Druids to go in and question the occupants without fear of being harmed. Of course once inside even the Druid's magic was withheld from them. With no magic allowed, the holding cell was nigh impossible to escape from, which was why it was so useful.

He approached the door and placed a hand on the metal plate which opened the door. The witches were huddled together and all their heads snapped up when they saw the door open. Cyrus noticed how one of the sisters, Piper, whispered urgently to the others. Although he could not hear the words, he could tell that it was of some resent argument. The sisters turned their eyes fearfully to Cyrus. Sensing the girls fear, he held up his hand with his palms facing outward to show they had nothing to fear.

"We do not come to harm you," he said in a calm voice. Beside him Arianna gave a huff of incredulity, "You don't," she muttered. Cyrus shot her a glare.

"If you're gonna kill us, just get it over with," Phoebe said to him. Arianna gave a malevolence smile and took a step forward.

"It would be my pleasure," she said smugly. Before she could make another move, Cyrus caught her by the sleeve of her robe and turned her sharply to face him. .

"Do not ruin this with your haughtiness, Arianna," he whispered piercingly to her. "I need your cooperation in this. Now obey my orders and remain silent until I have need for you." Arianna didn't respond and shook his arm angrily from her robe. Cyrus sighed as he watched her dark countenance and piercing eyes. When she was in one of her 'I-will-do-as-I-please' moods, sometimes even he had trouble restraining her and had to use his rightful authority as First Druid to bring her back under control. He turned back to the sisters.

"As I was saying," he began again, "_We_ do not come to harm you. _ We_ only wish for your help." He paused letting the girls consider their options. He knew they were in a weighty situation and would most likely not side with his argument. He would just have to convince them otherwise.

"Last time you needed our help," Piper said, "we ended up stuck here." She eyed the stone compartment darkly then turned her glower towards Cyrus. "Why should this time be any different?"

Cyrus met her glare and gave a small smile. Without answering her question, he turned to face Arianna. "Go to the Trackers and see if they have any leads on who has the amulet." Arianna gave him a curt nod before leaving the room. As he watched her go he knew the Trackers would not have any new information on the amulet, but he needed to be alone with the girls without any interruptions from Arianna. After her footsteps faded away and he was sure she was gone he turned back to the girls. "Follow me," he told them. They exchanged questionable looks then finally seemed to agree on an action and followed Cyrus from the room.


End file.
